Pets are naturally inquisitive creatures, often with a natural instinct to chase and play with objects within their environment. Many domestic animals rely on their owners as a source of companionship. However, many owners often have busy daily schedules that restrict the amount of time that an owner can commit to entertaining a pet. Owners often rely on pet toys or pet entertainment devices such as balls or string. The pet toys allow the pet to chase and grab at the toy. To gain the pets attention, the toys often move either under their own power, or by momentum from the pet or owner. For example, a feline may bat at a ball and cause the ball to roll. The movement of the ball further engages the attention of the feline and causes the feline to continue to chase and bat at the ball.
While the ball can captivate a pet for an extended period of time, balls and other play toys often get stuck in a corner or under furniture. The stuck ball loses the attention of the pet and remains in the stuck/hidden position until an owner eventually locates the toy. In addition, the toy or ball often ends up in places that generate hazards to individuals, such as at the bottom of a set of stairs.
Many pet toys have been developed to overcome these associated problems by providing a housing. The housing holds the play objects within the housing. The housing has holes or slits that allow the pet to insert paws and bat at the play object within the housing. The play object bounces around within the housing and keeps the attention of the pet while preventing the play object from becoming lost or stuck. While these toys overcome the associated drawbacks of an independent ball or play object, they often cause a pet to become frustrated. After a period of playing with the play object within the housing, the pet recognizes that they will never be able to fully grab and play with the object. This often causes the pet to become unsatisfied and no longer play with the housing.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.